Antiquity
by Omoni
Summary: The sequel to "Sun and Moon" - what happened the night Ursa vanished and Azulon died. Contains spoilers for the series.


_Writer's note:__ This fic coincides with my fic "Sun and Moon".

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_**Warning: Contains spoilers for Book Two: Zuko Alone.**

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Antiquity**

The night that Azulon died, Ursa went to visit Zuko, then left, skirting the palace through the corridors unused by servants. It was easy to slip through the entire palace unnoticed, especially at night; she was the only royal woman of standing at the moment, and as such it wasn't strange to see her around at all times making sure things were run in accordance to her desires.

But this night had nothing to do with housekeeping. She sighed, clutching the knife tightly, her eyes shut for a moment. Her heart was aching, especially since she _knew_ she had to leave – _for good_ – once this was over. There was no escaping that fact.

"I will rewrite the will," Ozai had said, his voice thick with underlying excitement. "And you will go into the catacombs and replace the old with the new. Once that's finished, you will kill him, Ursa. Won't you?"

Ursa had gritted her teeth, clutching the knife tightly to her chest. "Yes," she said, her voice close to a snarl.

Ozai must have sensed something, for his eyes flickered. She froze; she hadn't seen that kind of light in his eyes since they were teenagers, and she couldn't help but pause at the sight of it, now. "I know things haven't been the best of time for us, lately," he admitted, his voice soft. "But know that, with this, things _will_ be better."

Ursa had smiled slowly. It was a thin, humourless smile, one that she knew was not friendly at all. "For _you,_" was her answer.

"For you as well, as your son will live," he had answered.

_He's right_, she thought meekly, making her way outside and to the courtyards towards the main temples. _If Zuko lives, then the life of one person balances it out. Either way, someone will die. It might as well be Azulon…_

She waited until she was sure the area was abandoned before going down to the catacombs. It was pitch-black, and her small lantern did little to dispel the shadows, but it was enough to make her way through the tunnels. Thousands of empty sockets stared at her as she walked past, the trophies of past Dragons who had brought home these heads to claim their titles. She fancied they glared at her reproachfully, as if knowing her reasoning for being there. It made her shiver.

She made her way to the very heart of the catacombs, stopping before a statue of her father-in-law. She frowned, eyeing the statue closely; Ozai had warned her that only firebenders could enter the archive rooms of any of the Firelords, and since she wasn't a bender, there would be a problem. But she had told him of a solution, and his smile was so wide that it both chilled her and saddened her.

_Only a man so far from the balance of things could smile at such cleverness like this,_ she thought grimly, reaching into the lantern and pulling out the candle. Carefully, she reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a small bottle of cooking oil. She lathered the mouth of the statue generously with the oil, then held the candle's minute flame underneath it. It ignited, reaching up from the mouth into the eyes. She let it burn for a few seconds before blowing it out, and it was enough. The statue parted, making room for her to enter into the dusty chamber.

Ursa replaced the candle as she entered, her eyes narrowed to keep them adjusted to the dim lighting. It took her a few minutes, but she did find the box marked with the characters for "Will", just like Ozai had promised. She gritted her teeth, knelt down before it, and examined it. It was sealed with the insignia of the Firelord in plain white wax.

With her long fingernails, Ursa broke the seal, pulled out the will, and set it aside. She then reached into her robes once more and pulled out Ozai's version of the will, placing it the very same way in the box. She closed it, scraped away the old seal, and grabbed the candle once more. With careful timing, she poured hot wax onto the box and pulled out the pilfered sealing stone, stamping the box and holding it until the wax dried. Once done, she set the box where it had been and reached for the old will.

She couldn't resist it. After all, it was her last night in her own Palace. She might as well snoop a little. She opened the will and read, her hungry eyes devouring each character.

"_The last will and testament of Azulon, son of Sozin and his consort,_

_Written with clear mind and free will, in accordance that all requests be fulfilled once I have passed on to the Spirit World and met my demons on the other side."_

Ursa frowned; that was an unusual phrasing, and it was not the one that Ozai had placed on his version of the will. Still, she knew that Azulon had not shared nor dictated the will with anyone else, so they would get away with it – but it was still strange.

"_My father Sozin left me with everything, my being the only heir he ever managed to produce. He watched as I made my own, and as they made theirs as well. He took a while to die, and I plan on doing the same, if Agni and the Spirits allow."_

Ursa smile humourlessly. _The Spirits, nor Agni, will not stop me_, she thought, _not in exchange for my son._

"_I leave my firstborn, my strong-hearted and strong-willed son Iroh, with everything in my possession. I leave you my Palace, my throne, my hairpiece, and my love. Keep them well, and keep them close to your heart._

_For Ozai, I leave advice. Ozai, my second-born, my wily and cunning youngest, the one who came late and as a result snuffed the flame that was my wife Ilah out of the world; this is what I leave you. Use it well, for it is all you have, and it could save your life:_

_Favourtism begets monsters. I see what you are doing to your children. I see what you are doing to your youngest. I see you trying to reverse what you see as my mistakes by shunning your oldest and adoring your youngest. But you do not see that you are rotting the fruit of your own vine. Your son is weakening, and your daughter is burning out of control. Azula may be the strongest, but Zuko has much of his great-grandfather in him – and I do not mean Sozin – and you must be wary of setting him off. If you continue your vein of destruction upon your family, only you will burn. This is what I leave you._

_All other vestments not mentioned in this document are to be distributed as my sons see fit._

_I sign this, my last will and testament,_

_Firelord Azulon."_

_Begets monsters…_

Ursa held the paper so tightly in her hands that it crumpled. If she had been a bender, they would be alight in flames.

"_You're turning into a monster, Azula…"_

_Oh Agni, there is no saving this family…_

Shutting her eyes, she folded the document into a small square and shoved it into her pocket. She picked up her lantern and left the chambers, not once looking back. She couldn't. She had to be the strong one.

She doused the flame when she reached the Palace once more. She had to make her trip through silently, lest she be detected by any nocturnal servants or nightshift guards. She managed to slip past everyone, and she slowly made her way towards the royal apartments, her hands now wrapped around the dagger once more.

"_You have to make it hard to detect. If they see blood, they'll know. If they see nothing, they will assume it was age and not bother with an autopsy. Be clever, Ursa."_

_When did I look away from you?_ She thought to her husband, slipping into the darkened apartments with only a whisper of sound. _Was that what made you mad? Or was it long before we met?_

She went into the bedroom, her eyes adjusted to the gloom. She listened, and heard the faint snores of her father-in-law, deep and sound. With light steps, she made her way to the canopied bed.

Azulon didn't even make a sound when she covered his face with the smallest pillow from his bed. He merely opened his eyes, met her gaze, and glared, recognition and confusion evident in their dying light. With quick hands, she grabbed onto his bony wrists to keep his hands away from hers, surprised by the iron strength she found in them. She would not be deterred, however, and her determination to save Zuko kept her stronger than him long before he started to die beneath her hands.

She waited until he was dead before removing the pillow. Her insides felt cold as she gazed expressionlessly at the man who had been her father-in-law. To her surprise, he looked peaceful, almost like he was still sleeping.

She waited several hours longer until she was sure he would never draw another breath before she allowed herself to breath calmly.

Before she vanished for good, she made sure there was no evidence of her crime. When she was sure, she closed Azulon's eyes, replaced the blankets, and walked away, a shadow amongst shadows.

When the sun crested above the nation, she was long gone, already a ghost.


End file.
